story now, craft later
Sage Women of Color
Storytelling Fellowship
The Sage Women of Color Fellowship, a project of The Untold Narratives, aims to provide a mechanism and platform for women who are 35 years and older to share their wisdom and unique stories. We believe that storytelling can be a healing process for the storyteller as well as for the communities with which they choose to share their stories. In this fractured political time, it is more important than ever that wise women of color create stories, first for themselves, and then for the communities in which they live.
Shown from left to right: Dr. Rachel Jessica Daniel, Storytelling Coach; Fellow Shanda Johnson; TUN Founder, Dr. Elizabeth Santiago; Fellows Leola Hampton, Berenice Duarte and Blanca Martinez.
Berenice Duarte
During the fellowship, Berenice explored the art of horror through short story and flash fiction. Take a listen to her reading, and discover more of her final pieces by selecting "Read More" below.
One day I woke up with a balloon for a head.
It was always flying away, looking for new adventures. Curious to know the world beyond my mother’s home. While my head wandered around the house looking for a way out, my body laid stoic and frozen in place. This angered my mother. As to test my ability to function without a head, she would ask me for the time or If I knew where my faith had disappeared too. My mouthless face mirrored my mother’s own disappointments.
Enraged, she dragged my head into the kitchen, took the sharpest knife, her favorite to kill the chickens and threw it at my head.
The next day my mother painted the kitchen walls red.
Leola Hampton
During the fellowship, Leola reflected on her experience with busing in Boston in the 1970s, a pivotal chapter in the city’s history. But as Leola reminds us, history is never just about the events themselves; it is also about the people, families, and stories that surround them. She begins by paying homage to her mother. Take a listen to Leola’s reading, and discover more of her final pieces by selecting "Read More" below.
I often find myself trying to understand Momma, know her story—extract who she was from the monstrous Mississippi Delta that broke off pieces of her soul. A place revered for its capacity to hate with pride and resoluteness. Known for the murders of Emmit Till, Medger Evers, Freedom riders Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner. A legacy of such irrefutable violence that Nina Simone could only describe it with two words, “Mississippi Goddam.”
Whenever I’d ask Momma about Mississippi there was an ominous silence. Her normal demeanor would transform as the memories surfaced. Her voice became strange and unfamiliar. Senses were elevated. Breathing quickened, words spoken were curt and controlled as a selective language masterfully told her story. Mississippi was the subject most avoided.
Shanda Johnson
During her fellowship, Shanda explored her mother’s journey from Tennessee to Boston in 1967. Along the way, her mother encounters the legendary Bostonian Dr. Melnea Cass and begins building a life for herself in a new city. It’s a story of migration, possibility, and the people who can shape our lives in unexpected ways. Eventually, this will be a narrated story. Take a listen to Shanda’s reading, and discover more of her final pieces by selecting "Read More" below.
Sally’s new home was a boarding house for women of color called the Women’s Service Club. It was in the heart of the South End in Boston. The building is a three-level brownstone that housed around 10 women. She heard about the Women’s Service Club from the Maid Agency. The Maid Agency did more than place young women in private homes. Through its connection with the WSC in Boston, it also provided a safe place for the young Black women to live after leaving live-in maid work.
The agency helped bring Sally north and find her first placement, but the WSC gave her something different: a place to stay while she began building a life of her own. For young Black women arriving from the South, that partnership could mean the difference between being tied to an employer’s household and having a foothold in the city.
The WSC was run by the House Mother, Ms. Bland. Ms. Bland was a short middle-aged woman born in Boston who acted as a mother figure to the ladies. Sally thought she was sweet as pie. She was always looking out for the ladies, especially during curfew. If any of the women didn’t make curfew Ms. Bland would be worried about them.
The President of the WSC was the “The First Lady of Roxbury” Dr. Melnea Cass, a prominent figure in the city. She served the WSC for fifteen years. She also has a major boulevard in Boston named after her.
Blanca Martinez
During her fellowship, Blanca reflected on her journey from Honduras to the United States, sharing the experiences and hopes that led her to make that difficult journey. Her story is also a testament to the power of finding your voice: today, Blanca is a passionate advocate for immigrant rights. Take a listen to her reading, and discover more of her final pieces by selecting "Read More" below.
I am Blanca Martinez. I live in Salem, MA and I am from Honduras. I came to this country because of the situation I was facing back home. Suffering abuse and discrimination based on my physical condition and for being a Black woman.
I contracted polio when I was a year old. For that reason, my parents sent me to an orphanage where I lived until I was 18.
In 2014, I made the decision to emigrate to the United States. Sometimes we make decisions without knowing the risks. It is only when we are already exposed to danger that we want to get out of the situation, but sometimes it’s too late.
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